The SOMM Journal

June / July 2015

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{ SOMMjournal.com }  87 If ideomotor action explains how water witching works, how would they unconsciously know where to cross the rods? What could be driving this unconscious motion? Unconscious Understanding and Mastery of Hydrology Perhaps the dowsers know a lot more about the physics of water than they realize. For example, catchment hydrology is the study of water flow and movement through a drainage basin. If you have information regarding the soil, the bedrock and the slope of the hillside, you can figure out a lot of information about where water will be flowing and how strong it will be flowing at any given location. When talking with Marc, he described to me how he never bothered to test for water sources at the top of the hill because he knew that there would be more water flowing faster at the bottom. This is basic physical hydrology. Could the movement of the divin- ing rods just be an extension of Marc's expertise in hydrological processes? If through experience he knows the likely behavior of a water source based on the physical land he's standing on, then ideomotor action theory would suggest that the rods would cross exactly where the water source is flowing and flowing strong. "Experience fine-tunes you," Marc said to me as I asked him whether he's always been accurate. He described that when he was just learning the craft, he was always over- estimating the amount of water flowing in an area. Could it be that over time he was learning more and more about the physical hydrology of the area without even realizing it, so when it came time to ask the rods questions, he already knew the answers but needed the "confirmation" from the rods? Conclusions So, what does science have to say about the ability of water witches to find underground water? Well, the jury is still out. Despite the fact that some studies found that water dowsers guesses were no better than random chance, there are still people like Marc Mondavi who seem to have an incredibly accurate ability to predict where water sources are located and sometimes more details in terms of how far below the surface and how strong that water is moving. From geomagnetic interactions between the rods or physiological changes to the human body to unconsciously moving the rods due to expert knowledge on hydrological principles, there might just be an explanation for seemingly successful water dowsing after all. Without precise scientific experiments, of course, these ideas are just speculation; however, based on available evidence, it seems as though they could be plausible and worthy of further investigation. On the other hand, if you're still not convinced there might be some credibility to water diviners' abilities and you think it's all just hocus pocus, that's fine—but remember there is so much we don't understand that it's important to keep an open mind just in case. (It was only ten years ago, for example, that scientists could finally explain how bees can fly.) Just because a study has not yet been done doesn't mean that something isn't going on. THE DIVINING ROD BY MARC MONDAVI Marc Mondavi's abilities as a water dowser inspired his family to create a new wine label: The Divining Rod. These releases, drawn from specific sub-appellations throughout California, are slotted into a com- fortable price range between the family's upscale Charles Krug line and its CK Mondavi value tier. Here are notes on the current releases. The Divining Rod 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley ($17.99) Lots of red fruit, with a hint of cocoa. Approachable tannins, ready to drink any time. The Divining Rod 2012 Divine Red, Lodi ($12.99) A blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot, this wine is full of bright juicy fruit character with a bit of spice. Nice balance with new oak. The Divining Rod 2013 Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands ($14.99) A bright and citrusy Chard, this wine is unpreten- tious and easy-drinking. —B. Y.-I. Selected References Lawson, T.J., and Crane, L.L. 2014. Dowsing rods designed to sharpen critical thinking and understanding of ideomotor action. Teaching of Psychology 41(1): 52-56. Gauchou, H.L., Rensink, R.A., and Fels, S. 2012. Expression of nonconscious knowledge via ideomotor actions. Consciousness and Cognition 21(2): 976-982. Chadwick, D.G., and Jensen, L. 1971. The detec- tion of magnetic fields caused by groundwater. Reports. Paper 568. http://digitalcommons.usu. edu/water_rep/568 More, B.M. 2013. Increase in gravitational force due to motion of water : Explains science of the water dowsing. World Research Journal of Engineering and Technology 2(1): 11-13. Foley, L.E., Gegear, R.J., and Reppert, S.M. 2011. Human cryptochrome exhibits light-dependent magnetosensitivity. Nature Communications 2(Article 356): doi:10.1038/ncomms1364 Begall, S., Malkemper, E.P., Červený, J., NČmec, P., and Burda, H. 2013. Magnetic alignment in mammals and other animals. Mammalian Biology 78: 10-20. Higgins, S. 2007. The effect of magnetically shield- ing a dowser. Rose Croix Journal 4: 45-54. Nordell, B. 1988. The dowsing reaction originates from piezoelectric effect in bone. 6th International Svedala Symposium on Ecological Design, May 19-21, 1988: Sweden.

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